


Return

by yuiopio



Series: NC stories [1]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, Fix-It, I just hate the canon endings ok, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nomad V (Cyberpunk 2077), Spoilers, V has PTSD, but it's lightly mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28705287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuiopio/pseuds/yuiopio
Summary: Four months since the raid on Arasaka. Four months since V was proclaimed a living legend. Four months since they went their separate ways.Fix-it fic because the canon endings don’t hit right. Sort-of kind of spoilers.(Not abandoned, just busy af. Will update ASAP)
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand/Male V
Series: NC stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104200
Comments: 11
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

V woke up with a groan. Bright morning light and the distant sounds of Night City greeted his senses, worsening his growing headache. He scrubbed a hand down his face and sat up slowly, wincing at the way his injuries and muscles screamed at him to lay back down. Letting out a puff of air, he stood up, wobbled a bit as black dots swam in his vision, and cautiously shuffled his way to the bathroom.

The empty feeling followed him there.

Ever since...it happened, an empty feeling had been haunting him. It felt like a piece of him was missing, and every fiber of his being was itching to have it back. And nothing could satiate it. No amount of booze, or stims, or head-splitting club outings could smother it. The feeling had slowly eaten away at V’s soul, leaving a V-shaped husk left to yearn for something that couldn’t be returned.

V gripped the bathroom sink’s edge and sighed. Nibbles looked up from where she was licking her paw on the counter and mewed softly, making V lift his hung head to look into her bright eyes. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth when she returned to ignoring him. She was the same through it all, unlike V. Looking into the mirror, V could see the toll the last few months had taken on him. Hell, he could see what yesterday alone did to him. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and arms, and whatever wasn’t covered in a layer of synthetic cotton was decorated with cuts and bruises. Clearing out a Scav nest isn’t as easy as it sounds when the unfinished building starts to collapse and two cyberpsychos emerge from the chaos. According to Vik, V was damn lucky to make it out with so few injuries.

V’s eyes trailed down to his forearm where a nasty bruise had formed around the divet of his elbow. He slowly ghosted his fingers over it until he reached the tattoo. It was a stupid memento from when Johnny took over his body for the first time. The asshole decided to put both their names in a heart with an arrow through it. Only a sarcastic bastard high and drunk off his ass would do that. And only a sentimental gonk would keep it.

V traced over the lines absentmindedly until a knock interrupted his thoughts. Nibbles’ head snapped up, her ears perked up and swiveling. 

“Who is it?” V whispered, as if she could answer. She ignored him, and instead hopped down from the counter and made a beeline to the front door. V watched as she pawed at it, meowing persistently, and then turned her head to stare at V expectantly. 

Weird. 

After grabbing a hidden pistol from above his computer desk, V slowly approached the door. Between Nibbles’ weird behavior and the unannounced stranger at his door, V couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation. No one came to V’s apartment, especially unannounced. No one besides Misty or Vik even knew where V’s apartment was. Whoever this stranger was was a threat.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he pressed his back against the wall and readied his stance to shoot. The person on the other side knocked again, louder than the last time, and Nibbles meowed louder in response. All the red flags were there, but V would be damned if he said his damned curiosity wasn’t gnawing at him. Hopefully he wouldn’t regret giving in to it.

“Who’s there,” he called out gruffly, his forefinger itching to jump to the trigger.

“Guess.”

V’s breath caught as a name flashed in his mind. But no, it couldn’t be. He skipped town months ago, saying something about needing a fresh start. V hadn’t taken him seriously when he had drunkenly announced his plan at their Kabuki hideout, but by the next day it was apparent he was serious. No one had heard from him since, and it was obvious from the radio silence that he wasn’t planning on coming back. V figured that was all the thanks he was going to get for giving him a new lease on life and tried not to think about it since. Key word was tried.

V lowered his gun and faced the door, his mind and heart racing. It’s him it’s him it’s him it’s him the rhythm of his heart seemed to say, but his mind was thinking the opposite. No way could it be him. No way could it be him standing at his door after all this time.

V’s finger guided itself to the door’s panel, and after a moment’s hesitation, pressed ‘open.’ The door slid open to reveal a lanky, long-haired man with a pair of dark sunglasses on his stony face.

“Thought you’d flatlined in the time it took ya to get to the door,” his familiar voice rumbled. He even crossed his arms and shifted his weight to drive home the point that it was really him.

“Johnny,” V breathed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for our favorite asshole? V wasn't :D

“V,” Johnny returned, a hint of a smirk on his lips. He took a moment to look V over, noticing the small differences in the man’s appearance since the last they spoke. The bandages and injuries were new, but all else was more or less the same. Wide eyes, mussed hair, yeah this was the same V. It was like he had never left.

Several beats of silence went by as V took in Johnny as well. Normally Johnny welcomed wandering eyes, he’d even encourage it, but something about V being the one doing it made him shift. It wasn’t like he was any different from when they parted ways, he was in the same clone body from before. The only difference was that he’d gotten his tattoos back, but only the snake and Porsche decal could be seen from his rolled-up, black button down. His other arm was a blank canvas, waiting for him to find the inspiration to etch something on it.

Something warm rubbed itself against Johnny’s ankle, leading his attention away from the awkward tension. The cat they rescued- _V_ rescued- had decided to make its presence known by weaving around Johnny’s ankles. Guess V wasn’t the only one checking Johnny out.

“You comin’ in, or what.”

Johnny looked up to see V turning into his apartment. He let the curt behavior roll off his back and followed him inside. He strided in and immediately made himself comfortable on the couch as V rummaged through his closet, passively looking over the apartment as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. It was pretty much the same, other than a few additions to the cluttered decor. The loose mess had surprised Johnny after he found out-or rather, _remembered_ \- V was an ex-nomad. Never knew a nomad could rewire their genetic code to become a hoarder.

“Gee, thanks,” V replied dryly. Johnny’s head snapped to V, but realized a beat later he must’ve said the last part aloud. It had been four months since Johnny and V shared the same mindspace, but it felt like they were still co-existing at times. Sarcastic quips, wandering thoughts, compassionate yet naive opinions would commentate his day. It was haunting and comforting at the same time.

“Well, fuck,” Johnny quipped as he laced his hands behind his head. He watched V as he carefully tugged on a shirt. “Didn’t think you would hear that.”

V snorted and limped towards the couch to sit across from him. Johnny watched him move with steady eyes, _really_ taking in his appearance. He looked like shit. Dark circles stained the bottom of his eyes, his hair was messier than the carefree bedhead he was used to, and he looked like he barely survived an AV crash. The worst thing about it was that Johnny knew V was hurting worse than he was letting on.

“The hell happen to you?”

“Why are you here?”

Johnny’s brow creased at that. It was less of a question and more of a demand. Granted, he wasn’t expecting to be welcomed with open arms-Rogue smothered any small flame of hope of that happening earlier- but, hell, he wasn’t expecting hostility either. 

Johnny crossed his arms.“What’s got your panties in a knot?” He deflected. At times like this, he wished he had something burning in his lungs. The new body wasn’t wired to have a nicotine addiction, but Johnny’s mind still sought out its ameliorating effects even though he vowed to drop the habit. A small bit of relief would go a long way under V’s icy stare.

“You disappear without a trace for four months, and now you’re at my doorstep. What do you think,” V bit out and crossed his toned arms. Where there weren’t bandages, Johnny also noticed, there were a few more scars than he remembered.

Johnny looked up at the holo screens and scratched his beard. “I told you I was leaving.”

“Didn’t think you was serious. Also didn’t think you wouldn’t say a goddamn thing once you got out.”

“Listen,” Johnny started, taking off his aviators. He should’ve known this wasn’t going to be easy. “I’m sorry.”

They sat in silence for a moment, Johnny half-expecting V to make a biting remark. The other man remained quiet, his overgrown bangs hiding half of his impassive expression. But he could tell his eyes were boring into his.

“I’m sorry, alright? Had lots to think about, alone. Needed time to figure out what I wanted out of life, who I wanted to be. No offense, but being surrounded by my past wouldn’t give me the effect I was looking for.”

Again, there was silence. The only sound was the muffled sound of Night City beyond V’s window. Johnny started to feel uncomfortable under V’s steady gaze, but he held it. Eventually V looked away and sighed. 

“You still didn’t answer my question,” V murmured in that scratchy voice of his. Johnny worked his jaw and glanced off to the side.

“An old friend can’t drop by?” Johnny quipped with his palm upturned.

“Not when his usual is to push people away ‘til he needs ‘em again.”

Ouch. But V was right, that used to be his MO. And Johnny had done nothing to prove he wouldn’t repeat past behaviors since he returned, in fact he did it a mere week after getting a new lease on life. But that’s why he returned. He realized in order to redeem himself, he had to properly reconnect with the only people who ever gave a damn about him.

“Shit, V. Not like I was having picnics in Oregon with a fist up my ass. I was out there,” he said, pointing east, “processin’ shit. Sorry that I left on short notice, but I’m back now.”

V cocked his head to the side and leaned forward, studying him. “And you’re sure you don’t want nothin’? Just here to say sorry and all that?” Johnny held both hands up and shrugged before returning them to his biceps.

“Bull-fucking-shit,” V hissed out, enunciating every syllable with enough venom to kill. Johnny blinked at the sudden antagonistic turn, but remained silent. “God, Johnny, do you think I’m fucking stupid? You show up after goin’ ghost for _months_ and think I’m too gonk-brained to figure out that something’s up?”

“Nothing’s up, V. Yeah, I fucked up by skipping town, I’ll admit that. And going static was even more fucked up. But I’m here to fix-”

“How? Fucking how?” At this point V was up on his feet and gesturing wildly. “You think just-just showin’ up and spewin’ bullshit excuses out your ass ‘s gonna change anything? Even if I were to believe you’re only here to make things right, do you really think that I’m just gonna roll over for you like some fuckin’ dog?” V huffed a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “You’ve never fuckin’ cared, have you?”

“Fuck, V, of course I care,” Johnny snapped, now standing as well. “Care ‘bout you, Rogue, Ker, and the rest of them. Always have.”

“Well, you’ve done a pretty shitty job at showing it.” The fire that was raging behind V’s eyes was starting to flicker. For the first time Johnny noticed how absolutely exhausted V looked. Like he’d been fighting for years. That naive, doe-eyed look in his eyes was completely gone, and Johnny sagged a bit. He wasn’t the same at all. He was looking at a husk.

They both looked away from each other, the fight seeping out of both of them and twisting into a deafening silence. Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets. Never had been good at this kind of thing. Never knew what to say. Fights with Johnny used to always end with a yelling match and no clear winner. Now it just felt like they were both losers.

Even the bald rat staring at Johnny from the bed seemed to think so, too.

Johnny turned his head back to V, who had taken a sudden interest in the throw pillows, and sighed. “Let me make it up to you,” he finally said, his voice losing its rough edge. “Promise that’s all I’m here for.” V’s eyes trailed back up to Johnny’s, and for a second Johnny thought he was going to get kicked out. But he just studied him with narrowed eyes and a pout Johnny would think was cute if the circumstances were different.

V folded his arms across his chest and tilted his hip. “So...let me get this straight,” he rasped. “You come back from your...soul-searching just to ‘apologize ‘n make things right’.” 

“Yep.”

“Outta the goodness of your heart?” He deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

The familiar sass made a smile tug at Johnny’s lips. “Out of the goodness of my heart,” he drawled back while placing a dramatic hand over his heart. The corner of V’s mouth twitched and he shook his head, looking off to the side to hide it.

“Guess I got no choice but to believe you.” His tired gaze returned to Johnny. “Kinda curious how you plan on ‘makin’ it up to me’, anyway.” The soft look in his eyes hit Johnny in the chest. It had been so long since they'd bantered and shared good times with each other. Easing back into their past dynamic felt too easy, too natural. Maybe some things did stay the same. 

God, he hoped he didn’t fuck this up.

“Uh, Johnny?”

Johnny blinked back into reality, suddenly aware of the passage of time. And that he was staring at V. He cleared his throat and pretended to check the time with his optics.

"Have to delta, got business to handle,” he said as he moved to leave. Before he did, he placed a hand on V’s shoulder and gestured to the man’s battered physique. “Try not to pulverise your body in the meantime.”

"Fine. And try not to skip town, will ya?" V shot back with a crooked smile. Johnny returned it and patted his shoulder. After a couple beats, he moved away and put his aviators back on.

“It’s a deal. And get some rest, too. You look like shit-smeared ass,” he said as he began walking out.

“At least I have an excuse.” 

Johnny flipped him off without turning around. He didn’t have to to know V was doing the same.

Fuck, he missed this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The clone fix-it theory is the only theory that makes sense to me. Why else would Smasher have Johnny's stuff (Smasher Silverhand stan confirmed?) Why else would they use an expensive, experimental chip on him instead of just torturing and killing him? They definitely were going to do some Winter Soldier shit to Johnny. 
> 
> Also Johnny's such a nerd for tattooing his Porsche's decals on his arm. I can't get over it.
> 
> Also also, college is kicking my ass, so I'll try and update on a weekly basis with shorter chapters :) Thanks for the support!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exposition? In the third chapter of MY fic? More likely than you think, but don't worry there's some good Johnny/V interaction too ;)

V stood in front of the mirror in nothing but grey sweatpants and damp hair. The bandages that adorned his body were long gone, the worst of his injuries healed and fading into scars. He traced their outlines with his eyes before he pushed a hand through his hair and sighed. V’s body was no stranger to hurt and pain. The old whispers of scars sitting deep in his skin were proof of that. Each one had a story; either a job gone horribly wrong or a stupid stunt gone completely off the rails. One story was etched across the line of his collarbone. 

V reached a hand up to it as he remembered his Nomad days. He was a wild kid back then, always looking for a race or craggy terrain to attempt extreme stunts with his souped-up dirt bike. Unfortunately, his never ending chase for adrenaline highs cost him said bike and his collarbone, but the feeling of flying up in the air with nothing but sky above and air beneath him and his bike was ethereal. Remembering bittersweet moments like those made V miss his carefree Nomad days. Now life was more complicated. And painful.

V lifted his hand to his forehead, where a memento of one of the worst days of his life resided. He brushed a fingertip over the smoothed tissue of the impact site and held it there. His nightmare-induced headache from earlier was radiating from there, and the pain erupted when he pressed into the small dent. His breath hitched and he steadied himself against the bathroom counter as he tried to work himself through a flashback. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, the panic and exploding pain that was threatening to overtake him subsided into a dull ache in his head and limbs. And the faint feeling of Johnny’s presence slowly faded, too.

V could still feel him sometimes. Always the first thing he noticed when he woke up, until he remembered that he was gone for good. And then a hollowness too big for V’s heart would sink in. Alt didn’t tell him that the remnants of Johnny were still going to yearn for him. Never mentioned that his thoughts would be plagued by that dumb gonk’s face. But to be fair, V was a special case. The AI could only tell V that pieces of Johnny would remain, not what that would entail. But honestly, knowing the location of Johnny’s clone body greatly overshadowed the fine details of Soulkiller.

V remembered the way his heart lurched when Alt gave him the third option to find Johnny’s body in a secret lab underneath Arasaka tower. According to what Alt found out after breaching their systems, it was made a couple of decades after Johnny’s infamous publicity stunt. Biotechnica had been secretly working on a human cloning project and had struck a deal with Arasaka to unlock the secret of immortality with both their technologies combined. Along with the experimental chip Johnny was uploaded on, an experimental Johnny clone was made to match. A reprogrammed, gunslinging fighting machine filled with rage...that would’ve been an excellent addition to Arasaka’s assets...if V hadn’t stolen it. After disconnecting from Mikoshi, V had stumbled his way down to the sublevels of Arasaka with the help of Alt clearing all his enemies with quickhacks and sabotage. At that point, he was beginning to blackout after mowing down Arasaka’s defenses and getting his soul ripped out, but he had managed to find Johnny’s frail body folded in a glowing vat of amniotic fluid amongst others. V could barely recognize him with his overgrown hair and weak body. And then after shattering the glass and dragging Johnny’s body out, V’s mind went blank. 

When he finally came to in Vik’s clinic two days later, Johnny’s familiar face greeted him. But it was different. He was missing the hard lines in his face that represented the stress, trauma, and drugs his previous body was battered with. And he had given himself an impromptu jagged haircut that was much too short. Apparently he had to relearn motor skills with the help of Vik’s exoskeleton cybernetics, seeing as his clone never moved a muscle in all its life. They were an interesting pair, Vik had commented, a scraggly virus and his fucked up host. V had laughed at that, earning himself a coughing fit and a scowl from Johnny. Probably the best moment he had since before Jackie’s death.

And then four months later Johnny returned from doing fuck-knows-what in fuck-knows-where. It had been two days since that encounter, and V was starting to think Johnny was full of shit. He’d said he was “handling business,” whatever that meant. Knowing Johnny, that could mean anything. Anything but making good on his promises. V made a face at the thought, hating the feeling that clutched his chest. Should’ve known better than to expect anything from Johnny. He’d probably said those touching things to V at the hotel and gravesite because he thought he was going to die. Apparently getting a new body made all that sentimental shit fly out the window. Fuck.

And as if the universe wanted to remind V how funny it was, a notification blipped in the corner of his eye. From Johnny. V steeled himself as he opened the message, hoping and doubting at the same time despite himself. He shouldn’t expect anything. He knew better than to expect anything. Johnny decided to go his separate way and V was fine with that. Had to be fine with that. Whatever semblance of comradery they had before Mikoshi was just out of necessity, and from slowly becoming the other. Still, he found himself opening the message with bated breath.

_ outside. bring iron. _

Ha. He fucking knew it. Johnny was only back in Night City to tie up loose ends and use his friends one final time. V figured this would happen as soon as he left his apartment to “handle business.” Not a lot of business out there for an ex-rockerboy that’s been dead for fifty years. Unless his name was Johnny Silverhand and had a laundry list of enemies.

V took in a deep breath and gripped the bathroom counter harder. After a few seconds, he decided  _ sure, yeah, why not, fuck it _ and went to his stash to grab his ol’ faithful Overture. If Johnny wanted to treat V like any merc in NC, then V was just fine treating Johnny like any client. He needed the money, anyway. Vik gave V discounts for emergency treatment since he was a frequent visitor, but he still expected to get paid. And V was happy to do that ASAP, because he valued the people who cared about him and would never think of taking advantage of them like some selfish lowlife.

Anyway.

V put on his gear and tucked his revolver in his leg holster. After a final count of ammo and MaxDocs, and also a scratch behind Nibbles’ ears, he left the apartment. He passed by Coach Fred with a nod and ignored Wilson’s desperate pleas as usual. The trip down the elevator was uneventful, and avoiding the cops sitting at the food vendor’s counter was easy. He finally made it to the top of the stairs and looked down to see Johnny’s Porsche. Parked on the street like an ass. And the asshole himself leaning against it with his arms crossed. V resisted an eye roll when Johnny whistled at him as he clomped down the stairs. 

“Fucking knew it,” V seethed once he was at Johnny’s level. “You did need something.”

Johnny barely reacted to that, but it was hard to tell if he was truly unbothered behind those reflective aviators of his. “Before you get your dick in a twist,” he said, “it’s not a job. More of an illicit joyride.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You gonna interrogate me, or get in the car?”

V studied him for a moment before huffing hair out of his eyes and moving towards the passenger door. Might as well see what Johnny was up to, even if it seemed off that Johnny asked him to pack extra heat. He did agree to this after all.

Johnny nodded in approval when V opened the car door, and then sauntered over to the driver’s side. V was surprised to find that the car didn’t reek of cigarettes or drugs. Neither did Johnny, now that he was close enough to notice. Instead the faint scent of patchouli and lilacs hit his nose, an interesting choice for a grizzled rockerboy. Not that V was complaining. He liked lilacs, actually. He wondered if this was Johnny’s way of trying to make it up to him, buttering him up with a barrage of small details he’d learned while stuck in V’s head. It would be a sweet gesture if circumstances were different.

The car ride was silent as Johnny cruised through Night City with one hand on the wheel and the other touching his chin. Evening was casting golden hues across the towering skyscrapers and streets, giving everything it touched a captivating glow. V glanced at Johnny’s stoic figure basked in ethereal light and quickly looked away, suddenly at a loss for words even though he’d imagined a scenario like this for four months. Everything that he’d wanted to tell Johnny deleted itself from his memory. Luckily, Johnny broke the thick silence, instead.

"You never did tell me how you got injured,” he inquired as he made an easy turn on a familiar street. V recognized the road as the one that led to the Badlands.

“Scavs. Cyberpsychos. Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he replied breezily and stretched into a more relaxed position. Johnny made a noise that was halfway between a grunt and a snort.

“You call endin’ up out of commish because you’re wrapped like a bloody King Tut a job well done?”

“Oh, I get it, you came all the way back to NC just to nag at me s'more. What, couldn’t find someone to bully  _ out there _ ?” V retorted while pointing east, the same way Johnny did back in the apartment. 

“‘M just sayin’” Johnny said without taking his eyes off the road, “Your luck is gonna run out someday, can't keep evading death."

V almost barked a laugh from the surrealness of the conversation. Never in the months leading up to this moment did V imagine Johnny fuckin’ Silverhand telling him that he was lucky to be alive. As if he hadn’t been resurrected  _ twice _ .

“Christ, where do you get your rocks off actin’ high and mighty after abandoning everyone?” He sneered lowly.

V could see Johnny bristle up out the corner of his eye, and he steeled himself for a fight. Not the best idea while Johnny was behind the wheel, but V wasn’t going to let him slide for what he did. And he wasn’t going to let him slide back into his life so easily either. But the yelling never came. Instead Johnny sagged into his seat and rolled his fingertips together as if in deep contemplation.

“I just worry about ya, V.”

At that, V finally looked at him fully and found Johnny looking right back. He had somehow taken off his sunglasses without V noticing, his dark eyes turned into warm pools of amber from the sun’s last rays. He couldn’t miss the sincerity in his face if he tried. The vulnerability, the tenderness in the air...V almost couldn’t breathe in it. It was too sudden and jarring and new. V had to look away and set his jaw.

"Can handle myself,” he replied gruffly, and was relieved that Johnny turned his attention back to the road.

“Never said you couldn’t.”

V didn’t have a retort for that, so he just sat back and watched the sun set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys' night out will be next chapter. We'll see what Johnny's plan is, and if V likes it...
> 
> Also thanks for the continued support guys! Makes me happy to see you all like what plays in my head constantly hahaha

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, my first fic :D. Had this idea brewing even before I finished the game, but it turns out the happy ending I had in mind isn't canon. I also want to explore Johnny becoming a better man, he had so much potential. I'll add more tags as I go along. Hope you guys like it!


End file.
